Could M8 Start a Rangefinder Revolution ?

[jrc]

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I think the "rangefinder revolution" may be happening in the form of small P&S cameras like the D-Lux 3. If that had a decent chip...

 

Or if the Canon G7 had RAW....I mentioned somewhere else that I think the G7, zoom lens and all, probably produces photographs that are technically better than photos produced by the M3 and the lenses and film of the 60s-70s-80s. Sooner or later, one of the camera manufacturers will bring it all together, and we'll get a camera 2/3 the size of an M8, fully manual/fully automatic, with a sharp (Leica?) 28-120 zoom and good high ISO performance. All the bits and pieces are now available.

 

The G7 is very, very close...there's a lot of speculation that Canon took out RAW so they couldn't cannibalize sales of their smaller DSLRs.

 

JC

[Riley]

yes these two cameras are an interesting case study of the differences

the rather simpler D Lux 3 is probably more reminicent of a rangefinder as G7 has become technicly more complex over time. Not the the features are unwelcome on G7, but plugging through menus to make exposure changes all the time is a boring pain.

 

Perhaps too, Canon are trying to differentiate better between dSLRs and the P&S variety, but at the same time the bridging cameras like FZ50 and V-Lux-1 are pushing the gap ever tighter. The NPD Group forecast shows DSLRs comprising 33.6% of revenue and over 11% of unit volume by 2010. So its clear where the market affections lay, and where the money is for manufacturers.

 

Innovations to EVF will see the dSLR further shut into a tightening market. The top deck of G7 is a good case study of what might be changed for a photographers camera. Lose the mode wheel and replace it with a speed dial; then add a zoom, focus and apperture ring zoom. The iso control at left is nice though.

 

Riley

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